Bushman

Recently rediscovered and restored, the only feature from David Schickele examines racial politics in 60s USA.  In San Francisco, the adventures of Gabriel, a young Nigerian reflect tribal, personal, and racial frictions during the tumultuous sixties. Truth is stranger than fiction in BUSHMAN, a rare sort of film portrait, part document, part imagined - poetic in its approach to real events. “ A rare sort of film portrait, part document, part imaginary - poetic in its approach to real events.” (Albert Johnson) (kw)

"In 1968, Peace Corps veteran David Schickele enlisted his Nigerian friend Paul Okpokam to film a light-hearted comedy about the adventures of an African in San Francisco. Schickele shot scenes of interracial romance, cross-cultural misunderstandings and countercultural joy.
It was a turbulent time both in the United States and in Nigeria. The US was facing civic unrest following the assassinations of John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr., exploding into violent uprisings throughout the country’s major cities. After a relative golden age of independence and hope, the Nigerian–Biafran Civil War from 1967 to 1970 was a time of unspeakable horror in Nigeria, with the estimated dead including 100,000 military casualties and the 500,000 to 2 million Biafran civilians who died of starvation.
David Schickele’s original script was meant to end with the character’s deportation due to bureaucratic visa problems. Reality intervened, however and the film’s conclusion took a much darker turn… The Pacific Film Archives’ current restoration premiered during these turbulent times at the Il Cinema Ritrovato in June 2023 to an ecstatic reception." (Dennis Doros and Amy Heller)